Neel Mehta
Deborah Lee James, former secretary of the U.S. Air Force, will officially join Textron on July 1 as a member of the board of directors.
Textron said Thursday she will bring three decades of homeland and national security experience in the public and private sectors to the company.
“Deborah’s deep expertise in national security, government procurement, strategic planning, cybersecurity, logistics and innovation, garnered from her leadership positions at the U.S. Air Force and private industry, will greatly benefit Textron,” said Textron Chairman and CEO Scott Donnelly.
James managed a more than $139 billion annual budget of the Air Force during her four-year tenure as the military branch’s top civilian leader and oversaw its efforts to reach milestones on the F-35 fighter program and KC-46 refueling aircraft program.
She also spearheaded various fleet modernization and cyber initiatives at the service branch.
James previously held an 11-year career at the Science Applications International Corp., including roles as executive vice president for communications and government affairs; general manager of the command, control, communications, computers and information technology business unit; and director of homeland security.
